Topic: 77 CB550 fork rebuild

[whtwter]

I am thinking about rebuilding my forks but am on a budget right now while going to school. I am riding the bike daily and would like to get some improvement. Will changing the seals and oil alone be worth the time or is it a waste without doing the springs as well. I would like to do springs it is just not in the budget right now!

Thanks, Chris

[Dreyzar]

Chris,
What problems are you having to prompt a rebuild? What results are you looking for?
Changing the oil is easy, fast, relatively cheap, and should be a noticable improvement in dampening over your filthy old oil. If your seals are not leaking, I'd just change the oil. This requires virtually no disassembly.
If the seals leak, change them. Worse than oil getting out, they're allowing crud to get into your oil. If you get new springs later on, they just drop into the top of the fork. The two jobs have little to do with each other.
As for springs, again, I'd like to know why you think you need them. If you want a firmer fork, the cheap and easy way is to just make some preload spacers. Or, as I think Hondaman recomends, drill and tap your fork caps for air valves.

[Kevin400F]

Oil level is also extremely important for correct performance of the fork.  During fork operation there is certain volume of air that gets compressed into an ever smaller space (by the oil) as the fork is compressed.   A higher oil level in the fork reduces the inital air volume, and can dramatically reduce the tendency of the fork to dive excessively or bottom out.    New springs may or may not be warranted.

Think of it as the "compression ratio" of the air volume at static ride height versus at full fork compression.  Of course, you can also fine-tune the damping characteristics with oil viscosity.

Kevin
 

[whtwter]

My main reasons are because I suspect no maintenance has ever been done to the forks as well as wanting to smooth out the ride a bit. I have never ridden a older bike with fresh forks and can't help but think there is room for improvement. Not expecting a miracle here but right now my rigid with a springer and spring seat is smoother on the freeway. I am sure the rear shocks and lack of cushion in the seat are contributing to the rough ride as well but figured the forks are the cheapest place  to start.

The seals do not currently leak so maybe a simple fluid change is the place to start.